This is the October 2014 edition of the Gwern.net newsletter; previously, September.
This is a collation of links and summary of major changes, overlapping with Changelog. Thanks to my donors on Gratipay.
Writings
QS:
- Redshift self-experiment: screen-reddening software shifts bedtime forward by 20 minutes
- LLLT re-analysis: no change in sleep as hypothesized by another LLLT user
- analysis of sceaduwe’s spirulina/allergies self-experiment (no reduction in allergies)
Media
Links
Genetics:
-
Everything Is Heritable:
- “Common DNA Markers Can Account for More Than Half of the Genetic Influence on Cognitive Abilities”, et al 2013
- “The high heritability of educational achievement reflects many genetically influenced traits, not just intelligence”, et al 2014
- “Estimating the Inbreeding Depression on Cognitive Behavior: A Population Based Study of Child Cohort”, 2014
-
Engineering:
- ["Growth, efficiency, and yield of commercial broilers from 1957, 1978, and 2005"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988556/), Zuidhof et al 2014 ([media](https://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/10/2/6875031/chickens-breeding-farming-boilers-giant "Chickens have gotten ridiculously large since the 1950s")) - ["Korea's Sooam Biotech Is the World's First Animal Cloning Factory"](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-10-22/koreas-sooam-biotech-is-the-worlds-first-animal-cloning-factory)
Politics/religion:
- “Kim Philby and the Age of Paranoia”
- “The Hollow Men II: Some reflections on Westminster and Whitehall dysfunction”, Dominic Cummings
- “In Front of Your Nose”, 1946
- “Nothing in Moderation” (Worth remembering in discussions of the Middle East that even in the USA, the masses are deeply illiberal, pro-statist, against rights, and extremist.)
- Newton and alchemy
- “I Can Tolerate Anything Except The Outgroup”
- “An Examination of Stereotype Threat Effects on Girls’ Mathematics Performance”, et al 2013
Statistics/AI/meta-science:
-
“In half of the [placebo-controlled] studies, the results provide evidence against continued use of the investigated surgical procedures.” (media)
-
“How often does it happen that the oldest person alive dies?”
-
“Is long-term calorie restriction in humans worth it?” (preliminary CALERIE results)
-
“learnfun & playfun: A general technique for automating NES games” (paper)
-
How often does correlation=causality?
- “Randomized versus historical controls for clinical trials”, et al 1982
- “The Adequacy of Comparison Group Designs for Evaluations of Employment-Related Programs”, 1987
- “Choosing between randomized and non-randomised studies: a systematic review”, et al 1998
- “A systematic review of comparisons of effect sizes derived from randomized and non-randomised studies”, Macet al 2000
- “Randomisation to protect against selection bias in healthcare trials (Cochrane Methodology Review)”, Odgaard-et al 2011
- “A weight of evidence approach to causal inference”, Swaen & van 2009 (circular reasoning & how not to do causal inference)
Psychology/biology:
- “Deliberate practice: Is that all it takes to become an expert?”, et al 2014
- “Decision Making Following a Prenatal Diagnosis of Down Syndrome: An Integrative Review”, et al 2012 ( connection to embryo selection)
- “Do We Believe Everything We’re Told?”
- “The Acquired Immune System: A Vantage from Beneath”, 2004 (immune systems as parasites)
- The Pursuit of Noninvasive Glucose Blood Tests: “Hunting the Deceitful Turkey”, John Smith
- Fertility and intelligence
Technology:
- “The Tyranny of the Rocket Equation” (WP)
- “Spacewar: Fanatic Life and Symbolic Death Among the Computer Bums”
- Advanced factory manufacturing in America
- “A history of the Amiga, part 8: The demo scene”
- “Why Johnny Can’t Encrypt: A Usability Evaluation of PGP 5.0”
- “Carding Forums, Ponzi Schemes and Law Enforcement: A background on Evolution Marketplace”, by the_avid
- “Fusion Power by Magnetic Confinement Program Plan”, 1976/1998
- Text of SXSW2013 closing remarks by Bruce Sterling
- “We need to get a lot better at imagining the future”
- “2000, the Year Formerly Known as the Future”
- Successful tech companies’ business models reviewed
Economics:
- “Dirty medicine”
- Peak scientist
- “Slippery Business: The trade in adulterated olive oil”
- “The Industrial Revolution: Past and Future” (Lucas on the Great Divergence, economic growth, the Asian miracles, and redistributionism.)
- “Of Frightened Horses and Autonomous Vehicles: Tort Law and its Assimilation of Innovations”, 2012
- “Beware the Middleman: Empirical Analysis of Bitcoin-Exchange Risk”, 2013 (see also the followup et al 2016 )
- NASHX
- “Love, luck and destiny: the world according to a Mumbai matriarch”
- “Bacon: Why America’s Favorite Food Mania Happened”
- “Nowhere is safe in EVE Online as Goonswarm suicide-bombs galactic trade hub” (shades of Eurisko)
- “Currin Trading—Ambition, Deception, Honor, Redemption: The story of the biggest heist in Eve’s history”
- “When Korea’s E-Sports was at the Brink of Death”
- “Google’s Lost Social Network” (exit, voice, and loyalty)
- Obsolete occupations: breaker boy, crossing sweeper, dog whipper
- Old Economy Steven
Philosophy:
- “Why Did why the lucky stiff Quit? …or, is this time well spent?”
- Wrongful life
- “The Wish Never to Have Been Born”, 1932
- “Newtonian Ethics”
Books
Nonfiction:
- Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance, Gleeson-2012 (review)
- Fascinating Mathematical People, ed 2011 (review)
Fiction:
Film/TV
Anime:
Music
Touhou:
- “恋色マスタースパーク (Love-Colored Master Spark)” (霧雨 魔理沙; Charisma Lash Type-M {C86}) [orchestral]
- “感情の摩天楼 ~ Cosmic Mind” (聖 白蓮; Charisma Lash Type-M {C86}) [orchestral]
- “少女さとり ~3rd eye” (古明地 さとり; Charisma Lash Type-M {C86}) [orchestral]
- “百鬼夏祭” (狐の工作室; 夏風の音 {C86}) [acoustic/jazz?]
- “天空を駆ける風の都” (狐の工作室; 夏風の音 {C86}) [acoustic]
- “Skydiver” (Babbe feat. kuroTenshi; SUNSHINE EP {2014-08-16}) [house]
- “Beat of Summer” (Babbe feat. Kasuka; SUNSHINE EP {2014-08-16}) [house]
- “月光跡” (柊秀雪 feat. Atori; MT22 {C86}) [Rock]
- “An cailin ar an tine” (Escarmew; MT22 {C86}) [Celtic]
- “Fires of Hokkai” (Jun.A; Cradle2 {C77}) [electronic]
Doujin:
- “The Strong Peanuts” (Takahiro Eguchi + Tomohiko Togashi; ‘AD:HOUSE 3’ {C86}) [instrumental]
- “Sajou” (doriko feat. Hanatan; PRIMROSE FLOWER VOICE {2013}) [rock]
- “ロリババアに恋をした” (HoneyWorks feat. Sana; Suki na Hito. {C86}) [Jpop]
- “清恋 ~ベルティネの夜の夢~” (Drop feat. 葉月ゆら; Eclipse Parade {C86}) [Jpop]
Vocaloid:
- “NICE MATCHING!” (miki; M@SATOSHI; 銀杏色D-i-s-k {VM23}) [electronic]
- “shallow moon” (Rin; 曼荼羅P; selbstmord {2014}) [vocal]
- “チョコレートサンデー” (Miku; 空海月; MIKUHOP LP {2014}) [Hip-hop]
- “Yokkora sex” (96Neko; memoReal {2012}) [rock]